Dear colleagues,
We would like to take this opportunity to introduce ourselves as the Chair and Vice Chair of Kensington, Chelsea and Westminster (KCW) LMC. The LMC covers Kensington and Chelsea/West London and Westminster/Central Boroughs. This is the newsletter for West London. This is the first of what will be a regular series of newsletters. Everyone on KCW LMC recognises the increasing pressures that general practice is under and are committed to try and address some of the pressures by helping practices and PCNs reduce the unfunded work they are doing and to challenge workload shift which is unsafe for both patients and practice staff.
Your current LMC members are (contact can be made via the Londonwide LMC team details at the end of this letter):
KCW LMC-West London
- Dr Anouska Hari (Chair), Sessional
- Dr Krishan Aggarwal (Vice-Chair), King’s College Health Centre
- Dr Mohammed Ali, Brompton Medical Centre
- Dr Georgina Neve, Emperors Gate Surgery
- Dr William Squier, Knightsbridge Medical Centre
Local priorities
KCW LMC’s local priorities include the need for services requiring input from general practice to be co-designed by GPs and practice teams. Services need to be funded and resourced appropriately so that patients are safe and practices are not making a loss by delivering a service. LMC members will continue to engage with stakeholders to campaign for this. General practice needs to speak with a unified voice to ensure that practices and patients’ needs are considered in planning services at a borough and North West London level.
Recent and current areas where LMC committee members are engaged
At a borough level:
- General Practice Alert System (GPAS). Londonwide LMC will be rolling out GPAS over the course of 2023. The system was created by Devon LMC and is designed to act as an early warning system for primary care being under pressure. When concerns are raised with NWL ICS they often ask for evidence and this information from individual practices will allow us to provide that evidence. There will be further information on this over the course of the year.
- We will be seeking to engage with The Bi-Borough Director of Public Health, to work together on public health issues relating to primary care.
At a North West London level
- NWL Enhanced Services, Commissioning Intentions 23/24. Londonwide LMCs and individual LMCs in NWL have expressed their concerns over the approach taken by the NWL ICS, in relation to Enhanced Services Commissioning Intentions for 23/24. Londonwide has surveyed PCN Clinical Directors (CDs) to canvas their views. In the case of Central PCN CDs they expressed the view that they were content with the proposals, as it represented a continuity with their existing arrangements.
- Agreement from NWL ICS/ICB Estates Department to any expansion in practices’ premises. It has come to the attention of the LMC that any expansion or change in a GP practice premises need to be agreed with the NWL ICS/Estates Department. If not the Borough Management team are not approving rent reimbursement for the additional premises on the basis they did not agree to it. It is therefore very important from a financial perspective that practices involve the Estates Department from the earliest stage of any changes to practice premises and ensure their approval to whatever is proposed and undertaken. Thereby ensuring Borough management will pay the correct rent reimbursement.
- Improvement Grants. Unfortunately it has been confirmed that the Improvement Grant national allocation has been cut and that there will effectively be no allocation for 2023-24 as the unfunded Improvement Grant applications which have been approved from 2022-23 have been rolled forward into 2023-24. The Ealing LMC has made clear our unhappiness at this situation.
Thank you for those of you who contact LMC committee members about issues as they arise. We rely on you to know where support is needed and are grateful for your queries. LMC members are keen to hear from our local GPs and practice teams about any issues you are facing.
Yours faithfully,
Dr Anouska Hari, Chair KCW LMC
Dr Krishan Aggarwal, Vice Chair KCW LMC
Londonwide’s NWL LMC Team
Ian Oakley, Committee Liaison Executive, ian.oakley@lmc.org.uk
Dr Paul Park, LMC Secretary/Medical Director, paul.park@lmc.org.uk
Lesley Williams, Assistant Director of Primary Care, lesley.williams@lmc.org.uk
Jamie Wright, Director of Primary Care, jamie.wright@lmc.org.uk